Pouring the footings

The original estimates for the foundation all included an extra item for a concrete pump that would make work ont he site easier. We thought it would have to be a hell of a pump to justify the cost. Little did I know it was a whole truck. Here the cement truck pours the concrete into the pump truck, which delivers the concrete with this huge crane. The concrete workers pour the concrete.

The concrete is 25 MPa concrete (that's megaPascals) for both the footings and foundation walls. According to my calculations, that means it can withstand 100 000 kg loaded onto the 8''x8'' hemlock posts that the foundation will hold. Obviously, the concrete is not the weakest link in the house. It was dry and ready to walk on in about 6 hours. We had ideal conditions for drying: no rain, a little sun in the afternoon, temperatures around 15 C and a light breeze.

Here's a closeup of the contractors. The concrete is from Beton Cowansville. The concrete contractor stands at left as Laroche pours and his journeyman helper evens the pour.

We thought that the footprint of the house was awfully small. I double checked a few measurements and they all checked out. The walls will actually stand slightly offset to the outside, so that there is actually a foot more interior room than there appears to be with just the footings.